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An Early Christmas Treat

Nigella Lawson is an interesting chef for me, she is one of my partners favourites, but I personally find many of her recipes either too rich, or ridiculously over-indulgent. This is her Christmas Cookbook, a time of year when rich foods and over indulgence are obligatory, therefore this should tick all the boxes as a must have book....shouldn't it?

Released in 2008, this hardback cookbook has 288 pages, it has fantastically opulent photography, sometimes focusing on the food, more often than not focusing on the author making the food.

It is available in all good bookshops and can easily be bought at Amazon for £15. This shocks me as I bought it on Amazon a couple of years ago for £9.99 on release.

Whilst this book does require a trip to your local deli or waitrose, the recipes are a bit of a break from the norm. With chapters on edible presents or Christmas mocktails, this is slightly different to the norm, it is interesting and innovative and worth trying in advance, as much as its nice to be experimental, you don't want a face full of disappointment as everyone waits for a big Christmas roast and receives Roast Stuffed Pumpkin.

The recipes are varied and there are all the traditional favourites, except because its Nigella they have added twists and turns that make them richer and more flavoursome. Personal favourites include her delicious Bread Sauce and her Christmas Sprouts, which are a winner. The photography as with all of Nigella's books is first class and this is a lot more appealing and appetising than many of her books.

It could prove useful over the coming weeks, its colourful, filled with great recipes, its just slightly expensive nowadays and i'm not sure why?

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A wonderful Christmas present for someone foody.

This book is simply delicious! I mean that in various ways: it is just lovely to look at - fantastic photos, colours, great printing. It is a great gift to receive or give. It is a huge hardback book that is fun to read through let alone cook from.

But it is also delicious in terms of the recipes (which is most important, so let's get on with it!). The recipes are split into sections - Catering for lots of people, side dishes, stress-free meals, baking, presents etc. There is a big section in the middle on red pages (easy to find) called The Main Event - the Christmas Day recipes. But there is also a good index so you can find recipes easily. Most recipes has a Make Ahead and a Freeze Ahead tip, to save time and nerves around Christmas. Nearly every recipe has its own photo (except maybe a couple of the sauces) so you can see how things should turn out. There are some great traditional things, some great traditions with a twist (mincemeat with cranberries), but be aware - everything is high calorie!

And don't think this recipe book will only come out once a year - although some of the recipes work especially well at Christmas, many will be great all year round (e.g. the Prodigious Pavlova). My top recommendation would be Sticky Gingerbread cake on p201 served with Cointreau cream p183.

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A Christmas recipe book to treasure and use every year.

Nigella's Christmas book is very much like her other books in the fact that it is chatty and informative as well as giving a great variety of recipes.

She covers all Christmas eventualities from parties to the main day, giving recipes for different events, for presents and for drinks - both alcoholic and nonalcoholic. The layout is clear and easy to read with lots of colour photos for you to see what the food should look like.

I have now made several recipes form this book and have not had a problem with a single one, in fact I made her Christmas cake this year to give as a present and it went down a treat.

I love the way Nigella writes about food and it is evident in this book how much she loves Christmas and that comes through in the recipes, you cannot help but feel christmassie (sp) and start planning what to make next.

Lots of the recipes have notes on how to make them ahead of time in order to make your Christmas less stressful and she does her Christmas day countdown as an idea of how to plan your day to avoid a Christmas meltdown.

I have to say that her recipes have gone down a treat both with friends and family, especially the mulled cider which is too yummy for words and a nice change from mulled wine.

The only downside to this book is the physical size as it a large book - bigger than her others and most cookery books so does not fit neatly into a bookcase.

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A excellent christmas cook book to make your christmas magical

For a festive, fun and family/freind christmas this is the most perfect cookery book for entertaining as well as family meals.

I have used this book 2 years running now for my whole christmas cooking needs and I havent faulted it yet. The book is clear, easy to understand, basic yet incredibly delicious recipies, unusual but again basic recipies and pictures make it a perfect cookbook all round.

Ranges of starters, canapes, main meals for entertaining as well as over the christmas period of eve, day and boxing day, beautiful preserves, drinks both hot, alcoholic and non alcoholic and each picture shows a story of a must eat food for the winter months.

The food for two years running now has actually made some beautiful events for us at chritmas time, for especially having freinds over with such easy receipies to follow. Step by step instruction and recipies that one can afford to purchase with ingredients as so many cookbooks cater for the wealthy with ingredients we wouldnt be able to afford as an average family. This however is different and is a must for each and every christmas cook.

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Really good recipes

It would be very true to say that Nigella has become a huge part of my family christmas. I bought it for my mum last christmas as a stocking filler and gave it to her early so we could whip up some delicious treats.

So this year i just couldn't wait to get stuck into the christmas preperations.

Nigella also has a Nigella Christmas Tv series, which is really nice to watch and see her get stuck into her christmas dinner parties.

I did find alot of the recipes contained alcohol which i dont drink alot, but if you don't use alcohol the recipes are still scrumtious.

Alot of the recipes can be used at any time of the year, and their are loads of special festive drink recipes.

I got my copy last year in Waterstones for £19.99 but i do believe that this year they are selling it for £9.99.

It is jam packed with, pudding, pavlova's, meat feasts, festive brews and treats for all the family. I think you'll all enjoy.

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A delightfully festive cook book with a great range of winter warmers and seductive suppers.

Having watched the accompanying TV series, the Nigella Christmas book is ideal for many of the traditional Christmas delights such as mince pies, yule log and of course the proverbial Mr Turkey. However it is the selection of winter warmers that Nigella offers that makes this book a firm favourite in my kitchen. A sweet squash and potato soup to warm you to your toes and chocolate pots galore are easy enough recipes for anyone to have a go. I love the tips offered with each recipe - how to make ahead for the party season and freeze for the future. Another nice feature is the variety of supper menus carefully planned out to present enticing meals for guests and the alternative menus to the turkey lunch. For someone who is a relative novice cook, the instructions and quantities are easy to understand and do not require a chef's dictionary. Once bought, this book is guaranteed a spot in your kitchen for years to come.

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A cookbook to make your Christmas season festive, stress free and fun

Nigella Christmas- a reliable, comprehensive cookbook for the festive month of December.

Organzation (9 sections)The More the Merrier - cocktails, canapes and mass catering, Seasonal Support - soups, salads, sauces and serve later sidesCome on Over - stress free suppersThe Main Event - I will come back to thisJoy to the World - baking and sweet treatsAll Wrapped up - edible presents and party preservesA Christmas Brunch A Bevy of Hot DrinksDr.Lawson Prescribes

I realize that most recipes you need are online these days, and if I really wanted to, I could have put together a lovely Chrsitmas meal, but it would have meant many more hours of work planning. This cookbook has all you need for a stress free, delicious culinary experience.In her usual Nigella style the book feels very chatty and personal, like you are drinking a cup of tea with her.

The Main Event chapter is a valuable reference for anyone feeling the stress of planning and executing Christmas lunch. It is the most comprehensive christmas lunch planner on the market. Nigella has kindly published a minute by minute cooking schedule beginning at 10:00 am and continues every 10-30 minutes ending at 3:30 pm with the meal being served.A point worth mentioning is she also has variation on the main meal from turkey, to goose, to a vegetarian option.

Process digestives and chocolate, press into pie tin. Freeze Soften 1 litre ice cream (flavour your choice)Place ice cream in pie tin and freezeMelt syrup ingredients over low heat, boil for 5 min. Pour syrup on biscuit/ice cream pie, DELICIOUS!This book has a plethora of ideas for cooking in December, many tips for recipes that you can make ahead of time and freeze.

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Excellent, if I could have given this book 6 stars I would have!

I'm pretty sure that since buying this book I have a growing crush developing on Nigella and all things Nigella-esq.

I brought this book back in September last year on a whim as it was discounted. Well....what can I say, from September until December (and even now when we are well into summer) I poured over every delicious recipe for everything from cakes to cocktails, foodie gifts and buffet menus and (of course) the traditional roast dinner!

Thanks to this book and the help of Nigella my Christmas Day (the first I have ever done for my family I might add) went without a hitch and all I heard were mmmm's and ahhhh's around the dinner table.

One of the best things about this book is the handy Christmas Day timetable that is in the centre of the book. Nigella maps out the entire day for you, from mixing and soaking your Christmas Pudding a few months before, to getting the perfect roast turkey on the day. It can also be tailored for your average Sunday Roast (I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who panic at the thought of getting everything in the oven at the correct time so your turkey doesn't go dry or your potatoes go cold).

There is also a great section for vegetarians included which is great as I often think (in Christmas cookbooks at least) they are overlooked through the haze of turkey, stuffing and chipolatas.

There are also lots of hints such as (in true Nigella lazy style) 'use throwaway roasting dish's so that you don't have to worry about all the washing up' - Brilliant thinking I say. I even got inspriation from the picture for my table setting on the big day!

There is only one thing that I dislike about this book and that is the recipes are not really something you can do everyday (mores the pity) as they are quite high in fat content.

I just can't wait for next Christmas now so that I can try out all the things that I didn't get to make this year. With 288 pages of recipe's to pick from this book will last and last.

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Nigella Christmas and fantastic food recipes

I had Nigells Christmas : food, family, friends and festitivities By Nigella Lawson as a gift for Christmas, and after watching all the episode that were shown on the BBC over Christmas, i was delighting to recieve the book and become a little Nigella myself.

The way that Nigells writes the recipe's of this book is exacltly how she talks about food in each of her programmes (and if you love the way that she talks about food you will love this book). The book encourages the reader to make the recipes as the way that she writes is really easy to understand and the passion she puts into the recipes make you want to make them exactly how she tells you to.

The Christmas book is in principal meant for the festive season, including how to make the perfect turkey, rib of beef and the fantastic recipe for the Stuffed Pork loin.

Nigella puts the sort of 'You can do it' mentality and you feel as if you can do exactly what Nigella does, including the most amazing Christmas pudding with chocolate (which I made after Christmas and went down very well!)

Nigella Christmas book is fantastic to add to your cooking collection of books and you will use it time and time again, her recipes are made so easy for everyone from a non-cook to the best cook to understand.

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A superb range of recipes for the whole of Christmas.

It was my birthday in October and I was given 'Nigella Christmas' by a friend. I have several other books by Ms Lawson, but my particular favourite is 'How to be a Domestic Goddess'. I have learned over the years that to cook like Nigella is not something you do whilst trying to watch your waistline! Almost all of her recipes are incredibly rich or full of sugar and this book is no exception with a sumptuous array of Yuletide goodies.

My first look through this glossy looking cookery book, was not in the kitchen, but tucked up in bed with a cup of hot chocolate! The cover of the book is as the picture shows above. I must comment on the Domestic Goddess herself though. How does she look so young? I am sure she's in her 40's, but she doesn't have one wrinkle! So back to the book - I tend to flick through new books like this looking at the pictures to see what takes my fancy. The pictures are fabulous and will have you salivating in minutes. All the dishes look delicious. My eyes were immediately drawn to page 87 and the Girdlebuster Pie! Sounds like my kind of pud!

If you're stuck for inspiration this Christmas, this book is everything you could want. Nigella's no nonsense approach, easy to follow recipes and planning ahead ideas will hopefully take the stress and strain out of this festive season. The contents page of the book gives you a great feel of what is between the pages...*The More the Merrier - Cocktails, Canapés and manageable mass catering.*Seasonal Support - Soups, salads, sauces and serve later sides.*Come on Over - Stress-free suppers.*The Main Event*Joy To The World - Christmas baking and sweet treats.*All Wrapped Up - Edible presents and Party Preserves.*A Christmas Brunch for 6-8.*A Bevy of Hot Drinks.*Dr. Lawson Prescribes - A panacea for seasonal and self inflicted ills.

THE MAIN EVENT (Chapter 4) gives a handy countdown to your traditional dinner on Christmas day which would be very useful even if you choose not to follow all of the recipes in this book. However, I love the sound of the Panettone and Italian sausage stuffing and the Butternut Orzotto (like risotto, but made with barley not rice), and I think these dished will be gracing my Christmas table.

Now I have a sweet tooth and my eagle eye spotted an amazing looking dish - Tiramisu Layer cake. The photo of this desert made me drool! Nigella says that this recipe 'reads harder than it cooks' and that 'it doesn't take very long or require much in the way of skill or patience.' I have decided that this will make an excellent alternative to Christmas pudding. The page (as do the other recipes) has a really useful little section with make ahead tips, and for when appropriate, freeze ahead tips.

The RRP of this book is £25 but is on sale in various places for less. The Book People were selling it for £10 and Amazon for £9.99 - a great price.

I will most definitely be using the practical and inspiring recipe book over the next few weeks. In fact I might head off into the kitchen now and have a go at making the Christmas Rock Road. Who cares that it's still November? I need to practise before the guests arrive!!